Wayanad, located in India’s southernmost State, Kerala, recently experienced massive landslides, leading to the deaths of more than 200 people.
With rescue operations still on and several trapped under the debris, the number of casualties is only likely to rise in the coming days, with many still unaccounted for. This horrifying turn of events in God’s Own Country should be a lesson for India’s smallest State.
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Although India is no stranger to the devastating impact of monsoon rains, with climate change exacerbating weather patterns, extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent and intense. The worsening impact of such calamities in recent years is worrisome. In the Wayanad tragedy, the land could not withstand the huge pressure caused by infrastructure development and incessant rain. For several decades, ecological sensitivities have not been considered in the development process.
But climate change is here for real, and the severity of the problem is now playing out in the form of disasters wreaking havoc in several parts of the country. Whether the tragedy in Kerala struck because of extreme rainfall or the overall ecological management required in the region, Wayanad holds important lessons for Goa.
Like Kerala, Goa too experiences heavy rainfall, and areas such as Canacona and Sattari are at risk of monsoon-related disasters. These areas have witnessed large-scale flooding in the past few years, yet officials have been caught napping, and no lessons have been learned so far.
While expressing grief over the Wayanad incident in the Legislative Assembly last week, many legislators called for conservation measures and the need to protect the hilly terrains in Goa, which have suffered rampant destruction in the past few years. While members in the Assembly lamented the destruction in Wayanad, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao maintained that illegalities cannot be executed without the blessings of the political higher-ups.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Revenue Minister Atanasio alias ‘Babush’ Monserrate mentioned that the State government is well-prepared for any eventuality like Wayanad. Let aside a Wayanad-like situation, the State machinery is not equipped to handle the flood situation Goa faces every year. One has witnessed severe flooding in Panjim as early as June during heavy rains in Patto, highlighting the ongoing inadequacies in flood management strategies.
This year’s monsoon has led to significant losses for farmers in the State. Fields in several villages such as Saligao, Guirim, Aldona, Seraulim, Benaulim, Raia, Fatorda, Chinchinim and Betalbatim were submerged. The floods have left many farmers devastated, just as the farming season was beginning. The heavy rains and resulting floods have caused immense hardship, with farmers losing crops and facing financial hardships.
The issue will likely persist, so long as the ministers and local MLAs continue with their so-called development projects, leading to destruction. Besides, several villages in North Goa have witnessed rampant construction of multi-storied buildings, boutiques and villas, often at the expense of the trees that stabilise the soil.
Furthermore, illegal quarries in parts of Bicholim taluka have further exacerbated the situation, undermining efforts to preserve the ecologically fragile terrain. In this context, there is a pressing need for better infrastructure and strategic planning to prevent horrible disasters in the future.
Meanwhile, the Wayanad tragedy has brought back the focus on the Madhav Gadgil report. In 2010, then Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh appointed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), to be chaired by ecologist Dr Madhav Gadgil. The commission submitted its 552-page report to the Centre in August 2011. The report predicted a time when unchecked environmental degradation would lead to landslides and rivers altering their courses, a scenario that has now unfolded in Wayanad.
For Goa, WGEEP recommended an indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in ESZs 1 and 2, a phasing out of mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 by 2016, and continuation of existing mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 2 under strict regulation with an effective system of social audit. It also recommended a ban on new thermal power projects or expansion of existing plants; and a ban on new or expansion of polluting industries as specified by the Central Pollution Control Board or State Pollution Control Board.
Perhaps taking a cue from the Wayanad disaster, the Centre on July 31, issued a fresh draft notification declaring 56,800 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six States as Ecologically Sensitive Areas. The notification reveals 1,461 sq km of land are in Goa. This was the sixth such notification by the Environment Ministry in a decade since 2014, but the final notification has never seen the light of the day after running into objections from political parties and governments. Yet, steps such as these would go a long way in containing the damage being inflicted upon natural resources. It is only by paying heed to reports such as the Gadgil Commission report can we hope to prevent future tragedies and protect our beloved Goa.
The Wayanad tragedy serves as a crucial wake-up call for Goans. This disaster serves as a stark reminder of the severe consequences of ignoring ecological warnings and tampering with nature. To mitigate any damage, safeguarding our natural systems is essential. There is also a pressing need to spread awareness and build better lines of communication. Goans must introspect and determine how to make necessary course corrections to protect both the ecology and the people.
(Anish Esteves works for a start-up based in Mumbai. He has written for several reputable publications. He is on X @AEthejourno.)
